托福阅读考试中，highlighted sentences 一直是学生们比较头疼的题型，因为这个题型完全考察的就是学生们对于这个句子句意的理解。它的题目是这样的：
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in thehighlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
在这里要注意，highlighted sentences的题目是直接给出明确的做题指导的，那就是错误的句子会1)漏掉句子中的重要信息。2)曲解句子的意思。
在现实做题备考过程中，学生们往往很容易看出曲解句子意思选项，知道不可以选，但容易在一些信息全对的选项上犹豫。这几个选项的信息原文句子都有提到，那我究竟应该选择哪一个选项呢?
其实在托福考试的highlighted sentences题型中，其实有一条“潜规则”，那就是：那句highlighted sentence的主干其实就是句子的重要信息。所以，在这个时候，分析句子题干就成为了一个至关重要的能力。就让我们先一起看一道例题吧!
Paragraph3: The West had plenty of attractions: thealluvial river bottoms, the fecund soils of the rolling forest lands, the black loams of the prairies were tempting to New England farmers working their rocky,sterile land and to southeastern farmers plagued with soil depletion and erosion. In 1820 under a new land law, a farm could be bought for$100. The continued proliferation of banks made it easier for those without cash to negotiate loans in papermoney. Western Farmers borrowed with the confident expectation that the expanding economy would keep farm prices high, thus making it easy to repay loans when they fell due.
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
Because the West had more rivers and forests than the East, its soil was more productive.
The fertile soils ofthe West drew farmers from regions with barren soils.
Farmers living in western areas of the United States were more affected by soil erosion than farmers living in eastern areas.
The soil in western areas of the United States was richer than soil in eastern areas.
这是TPO 20-1 Westward Migration 的 highlighted sentences 题，初看这道题，很多单词量不够大的学生是很有压力的，所以他们会觉得这道题很难做出来的原因是因为太多单词看不懂，比如alluvial,fecund, loam, prairies, sterile, depletion…… 但对于很多单词量大的同学，也很容易选择A或者D这两个选项，然后在我提示他们答案并不是A的时候表示惊讶：啊?那剩下还有别的选项能选吗?
其实，出现这两种情况的原因都是因为同学们没有从找题干的角度分析这道题。于是现在，就让我们先暂时不看选项，而是单独看这个highlighted sentence，找寻一下这个句子的主干。
这个句子虽然复杂，但静下心里看，主干还是很明显的。这个句子的冒号前后是两句话，重点是冒号后面的那一句，仔细看的话，会发现the alluvial river bottoms, the fecund soils of the rolling forest lands, the black loams of the prairies这一群很复杂的词组组成了主语，were tempting to… and to… 构成了谓语，New England farmers working their rocky, sterile land和southeastern farmers plagued with soil depletion and erosion.构成了宾语，所以整个句子的结构就非常清晰了，那就是：
xxx were tempting to xxx and xxx.
翻译成中文就是：xxx 正在引诱xxx.
所以，这个句子的主干，是一定包含了xxx正在引诱xxx 这个意思的，如果选项中没有包含了这个意思，就不是正确选项。那么这时候，同学们再来看一看这道题，应该选择什么呢?
A选项虽然包含了很多句子中的信息，但它唯独没有xxx正在引诱xxx的意思，所以不是正确答案。
B选项虽然是最短的选项，语言也非常概括，但它是麻雀虽小，五脏俱全。其中的drew就有吸引的意思，所以其实这是一个可以选择的选项。
C选项整个意思倒过来了，不是西部农民，而是东南部农民更容易被soilerosion所影响。
D选项的信息也没有错，但跟A选项一样，它也不包含主干内容。
所以最后我们的答案是B选项。这个让大家都觉得太短了，信息太少的选项反而是正确答案，就因为它是唯一一个信息没错误又包含了句子主干内容的选项。所以，其实从某种意义上来说，就算同学们不认识那些生词，只要找到主干，知道temptto的意思，就也能运用我们的分析主干技巧来顺利选出B选项。
现在，同学们是不是已经掌握了托福的highlighted sentences 主干就是句子的重要信息的“潜规则”了?有了这样的技巧，大家就再来试一道题吧!
The frequency with which certain simplemotifs appear in these oldest sites has led rock-art researchers to adopt adescriptive term—the Panaramitee style—a label which takes its name from theextensive rock pavements at Panaramitee North in desert South Australia, whichare covered with motifs pecked into the surface.
6.Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in thehighlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave ways or leave out essential information.
The oldest rock art sites have simpler motifs than the best known sites of Panaramitee North.
Because motifs primarily associated with the Panaramitee region are common in the oldest sites, the term Panaramitee style has become the general term for rock art of this type.
Because the Panaramitee style is socommon in the older sites, researchers have described it most extensively.
The motifs carved in the rocky surface of the Panaramitee region make up the oldest form of rock art discovered in Australia.
这道题的答案是...
B
因为原句的主干是XXX has led researchers to adopt a term。所以正确选项里面一定要包含xxx让研究人员采用一个term的信息。纵观4个选项，A,D都没有这个信息，其实C选项也没有，described it most extensively并不是采用一个term，更何况extensive(ly)在原文中并不是修饰describe而是修饰rock pavements，所以这里还出现了信息错误。最后再让我们来看B选项，B选项虽然没提到researchers，但它包含了一个term被采纳的信息。所以B选项是毫无疑问的正确答案。
大家这道题都做对了吗?我相信有了找主干分析句子重点信息的能力，同学们应该很轻松就选出来了吧!所以，寻找题干这个能力能力对于highlighted sentences的解题过程是至关重要的，大家一定要好好记住这一点技巧。
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